Chasing Memories
by The-Lazy-Flare
Summary: Tom remembered the desert, the countless days tracking down the hidden Tribeless hideaway, and the fight. It's just the six months that passed between then and now only come up blank. Now he has to figure out what really happened during then, and what the creature he'd managed to scan has to do with it. (Sister fic to The Tribeless, Differences start from Chapter 2 onward).
1. Connections

A year had passed since the "passing" of Tangath Toborn. A year has gone by for those in chaotic, while two solans have blown by for Perim. Yet much hasn't changed. The tribes, although unified by his sacrifice, still have rocky connections.

And humans couldn't stay out of trouble, especially Tom...

It had all started when he'd gone to visit Smildon in Prexxor's Chasm. Sure, he'd gone to also make sure Prexxor's Chasm hadn't developed any other weird sickness, but he mainly wanted to know if Smildon was alright. One of major problems about living in the chasm was that there was a seventy-five percent chance if anyone you knew was still alive if they lived there. So, when he had finally made his way to Smildon's new camp, he hadn't expected there to be anyone else there.

Yet, talking calmly to Smildon as they roasted some sort of meat over the fire, was a creature Tom hadn't even seen before. They seemed to be almost like a toad, with the exception of the row of spines going down their back and their bipedal form. They also seemed to have tons and tons of junk, all packed in a rather comically large bag. Tom made his way over, yet when he heard what the strange guest asked, he instantly jumped behind a tree and began to eavesdrop.

"So, you seriously considering going to join the overworlders?" The toad asked, staring at Smildon with a perplexed look.

Smildon himself seemed to remain silent, deciding to focus all his attention to the fire at hand.

Tom froze where he was, confusion etched across his face. Smildon was already an overworlder! At least, that's what his card said, blue frame and all…

The toad creature went on, crossing their arms and leaning on their stuff. "You know we could use you over at the Oasis. I know you don't like the heat, old friend, but you'll be around others like us. We could use your help! Teaching the young to defend and survive. You'll be safe and-"

That earned a scoff from Smildon, and the furry warrior sent his guest a glare. "Until someone finds it, that is; then everyone has to scatter and run to the hills, regrouping at the other outposts…"

"Well, yes, but-"

"Not to mention our conflicting ideas, right?" Smildon looked back at the fire. "We may be getting old, but I'm not going to give up and hide away in some cavern just because of it."

Tom winced at the coldness of his voice.

The toad creature only shook their head, grabbing their cooked meat stick and beginning to eat. "You've always been a fighter, Smildon. Part of this old wart is glad that side of you hasn't simmer down yet. But I can tell you'd make a wonderful teacher, so don't give up on that idea completely… By the way, is the human hiding behind the tree that same human you were telling me about?"

Tom tensed, but after getting a "yep" from Smildon, he sheepishly made his way to the duo.

"Uh, hi there." Tom smiled, holding his hand out for the toad creature to shake. "Name's Tom."

"Nice to meet you, Tom." The toad creature shook atoms hand, and Tom had to stop himself from recoiling. They were smily to the touch. "My name is Hitali. I can't thank you enough for saving Smildon and Prexxor's Chasm! A wonderful place like this, despite it's many dangers, would be a travesty to lose."

"Don't mention it," Tom said, starting to relax at Hitali's friendly nature. It was a welcomed change to the normally annoyed or hostile nature of other creatures.

"Good, so I hope you don't mention this conversation as well, if you could." Hitali chuckled, grabbing a stick of meat and handing it to Tom. "Come, let us talk of other things, yes? Tell me about yourself."

Tom looked over at Smildon, who just shrugged nonchalantly and bit into his food.

The rest of the night was spent swapping stories and eating food together. Tom remembered telling Hitali a number of stories, ranging from his first trip to Perim to countless other matches in the drones. Hitali would tell stories of the times he and Smildon fought with other creatures, but never seemed to go into detail. All the while, every time Tom tried to grab a scan, Hitali managed to ether mess up the scan or unintentionally block it.

It would be a lie if he said he wasn't disappointed, but learning more about Smildon and how Perim was like back in the day was pretty cool. Before Tom even knew it, the sun began to rise, and Hitali declared it was time for him to leave.

"It was nice meeting you, Tom." Hitali smiled, once again shaking Tom's hand. "You've provided some interesting insight on how humans work."

"Uh, actually, could I grab a scan of you? From the way those stories go, you'd make an excellent addition to my te-" Tom began, but was quickly silenced by Hitali's croak of a laugh.

"A-a scan?!" Hitalli began , almost doubling over. "Oh, oh my that's rich! W-what a wonderful joke!"

"I'm not joking!" Tom replied hastily, taking a step towards Hitali. "If your friends with Smildon, then you must be an excellent warrior! I could totally use you for my next match!"

At that Hitali paused, glancing at Tom with a somewhat dissapointed look, like a teacher upset with a student. "Ah, see here, that's the problem Tom. You misunderstand how a negotiation works. In order to get me to be scanned, you must earn it."

"Well what do you want me to do?"

"Hm…" Hitali paused once more, scratching his warty chin before looking to Smildon. "What should the boy do, Smildon? I'm worried I'll give him something to easy."

"Leave me out of this," Smildon only muttered, finishing off what could have probably been his fourteenth meat stick. "Just don't kill the kid, alright."

"C'mon Smildon! Whatever Hitai can dish out, I can handle it" Tom looked from Smildon to Hitali, determination radiating from his face. "So what's the challenge?"

"My, what an adventurous spirit…I got it!" Hitali smiled, a mischievous glint sparkled in his eyes as he grabbed his things. "You must find me two more times, understood? When you've done that, you must tell me what you've learned, alright? Only then will I allow you to scan me..."

"Huh..." Tom paused, thinking over the task. "But how will I find you?"

"My boy, if I gave you the answers, you'd never learn!" Hitali croaked out a laugh, before turn to Smildon. The mirth was so thick in his voice, it practically oozed out. "And you! You better not die while I'm gone, you old coot."

"Get lost, you greedy wart." Smildon replied back, but his voice lacked any hostility.

"May we met again!" He called out before quickly squatted down, and then jumped. He shot into the sky like a bottle rocket, and vanished into the clouds. Tom didn't see him land, and watched the sky with a shocked expression. Ok, so he had super jump as well, something Tom could definitely use on his team.

"Whoa…" Tom stared with wide eyes. "Smildon, how'd you know that guy?"

"Long story." Smildon grumbled, putting out the fire and beginning to pack up camp. "Also, it's none of your business."

"What about the Oasis? What was that about?!"

"None of your business." Smildon replied again, already having taken his tent down.

"Why are they hiding? Also I thought you were already an Overworlder, what was Hitali talking about-"

"Tom." Smildon growled, mostly as a warning to stop asking him. "Shut up."

There was a pause between them, lasting about two minutes, before Tom spoke up again.

"At least tell me where I can find him!" Tom begged, his curiosity getting the best of him.

"Find Hitali? Ha! Hitali goes wherever there's money." Smildon smirked. "Yet very few even spot him there. You'd have better luck finding the Oasis itself, and you'd have to search the border for days. Not to mention there-"

"It's by a border? Like the Mipedian-Overworld border?"

Smildon stoped for a moment, alerting Tom to the fact he was most likely right. He pushed more, gearing up for more and more questions.

"Are there other creatures like Hitali at the Oasis? You know how to get there, right? Maybe i could-"

"Tom." Smildon warned once again, turning to face the human with tired eyes. "Stop asking questions you aren't ready for…"

His voice wasn't too harsh, but it was clear to Tom that he wouldn't get anything else from Smildon. Giving up and letting out a sigh, Tom made his way over to some of Smildon supplies, helping him gather them up. "...Sorry, Smildon. I didn't mean to pry..."

"It's fine, it's fine….Just don't mention any of this ever again, to anyone else; and we'll call it even."

* * *

"Well Tom, I must say it's been awhile since you've stopped by here." Bodal said, crossing his arms in a pompous manner. "Are you going to help me organize the arsenal, or are you just going to laze about."

"Nice to see you too, Bodal." Tom sighed, pressing down his annoyance. "Actually, I was wondering if you could answer some questions."

One of the best and worst things about Bodal, minus his job, would have to be how much he talked. The creature was often synonymous with "Blather-mouth", and if you could get him to talk, he'd spill the beans about all sorts of secrets. Examples of this being rare battle gear, or bits of gossip he'd gathered from others. Yep, if you ever wanted to know something most kept quiet about, you'd ask Bodal.

If you were willing to wade through his sass and blabbering.

"Oh if it's about the new battle gear, I'm afraid that's clasifi-"

"No, no, It doesn't involve any battle gear," Tom quickly cut in, making his way to Bodal's desk. He kept mind of the scattered papers that littered the floor, remembering how'd he'd nearly had his ear yelled off last time he stepped on one. "Do you know anything about an Oasis, one around the Overworld and Mipedian border?"

"An Oasis?" Bodal raises an eyebrow. "There's only a few, but why would you want them? They don't offer much in terms of benefits, not mugically or battlegear wise. As a matter of fact, most of them are left under the Mipedian control due to their kingdom's lack of water. Trust me it was quite a pickle deciding that when the official borders were drawn, Maxxor's father nearly-"

"Bodal, are there any creatures that live there? Like a village or something?"

"At the Oases? If you mean around, yes; there are probably some villages, but not too close, seeing as they're rather close to the border." Bodal pondered, gazing away as he thought. "But with the war finally ending, perhaps they'll move closer. That could be a problem if-"

"Bodal." Tom deadpanned, starting to lose his patience. "What about Hitali, do you know who he is?"

" ** _Hitali?!_** " Bodal turned his gaze back at Tom, eyes wide with shock. He didn't even notice the inkwell he knocked over in his haste. "Where did you hear about _him_?!"

"I've just heard about him from some other creatures, who is he? Also you spilled ink all over you paper…"

"Gah! Don't just stand there - _go get me some rags!_ "

It took Tom a few moments to find the rags, seeing as they were scattered here and there. By the time Bodal and him had clean up all the ink, the parchment was beyond saving. Bodal sighed, rubbing his temple as he tried not to focus on all the work lost.

"Tom,"

"Yeah?"

"Why do you want to know about Hitali?" It came out more as a groan, like Bodal dreaded answering it.

"Well, I was hoping to get a scan of him. From what I've heard, everyone says he's really tough." Tom half lied, knowing that Hitali himself had said he was pretty strong.

And for the second time Tom could ever remember, Bodal paused. Tom could see the look in his eyes, the way he was thinking carefully about what he was going to say. This meant that there must have been more than what Bodal was about to say. But before he could accuse the green skinned creature about it, Bodal spoke up once more.

"You can't."

Tom waited for him to go on but oddly enough, Bodal remained quiet. It was almost unnerving, not hearing an extremely long description coming from him...

"...and why not?" Tom asked, more to break the odd silence then to answer his question.

"Because," Bodal returned to his desk, grabbing a new parchment of paper and going back to work. "Hitali is dead. He's been dead for nearly twenty solans now, if I can recall correctly."

And just like that, it seemed a damn had opened, because now Bodal wouldn't shut up.

"It was a honorable death, at least. You see, Hitali was a scout for Maxxor's father. During a fire in the underworld capital; Hitali notice that in one of the burning homes, two children had gotten stuck inside. He dove in, wanting to save the children. Yet the fire had been too much, and all three were lost to the blaze. He was a decent creature, minus his greed and gambling problems. One of the Overworlds best scouts at the time. But I doubt anyone else remembers him, seeing by how long it's been…."

"... oh."

That's all Tom really could say. because unless he'd died for the majority of last night, then Hitali wasn't dead. Yet Bodal didn't seem to notice Tom's confusion.

"Yes, but I recommend you don't ask the others about Hitali, there have been some unsavory rumors going around about him for a while now."

"Really? Like what?"

"Oh, well it's all over the board. Some say that he was having an affair with an underground warrior, while others say he was actually a mipedian spy. Of course if Maxxor ever heard of them, the culprits usually suffered greatly. You see, Hitali was to Maxxor as Drabe was to A- wait a minute, what does Hitali have to do with an Oasis?"

"Nothing, I was just-" Tom paused, scrambling to think up something. "- Just trying to get a good scan for a friend of mine!. You know, for the game."

"Ah, right. Well, do you have anymore questions?" Bodal asked, once again lifting his head to face Tom. "Because i'm terribly busy, seeing as Olkiex is currently on vacation. You know, despite his lack of common sense, he's really deserved this vacation; even though I have no idea where he is-"

"Can you tell me about Smildon?"

"You mean the Smildon that lives in Prexxor's Chasm? Don't you already know him?" Bodal squinted in mild annoyance. "I mean, you were the one that-"

"Yeah yeah, I mean, why does he say he's going to "join" the Overworlder? Isn't he already one?"

"Smildon? Oh heavens no! Barely any creature that live in Prexxor Chasm are Overworlders." Bodal chuckled, shaking his head at the thought. "Despite their origins and connections, those creatures are all tribeless, even Smildon! Although it would be a wise choice to take Maxxor's offer and finally join the Overworlder, seeing as he isn't getting-"

"Tribeless?! There are tribeless creatures?!" Tom gawked, eyes wide. "How come no one ever mentioned this?!"

"Well of course there are! It'd be silly not to have tribeless creatures. You see, every tribe has their unwanted outcasts, their undesirables, and their exiled. They also have their runaways but they're basically the same thing..." Bodal began, a smile on his face as he explained. "Now, normally these creatures ether stay within their original tribes borders -there for remained "loosely" in that tribe- or they go to a new tribe! This is more common with Underworlders and the Overworlders, but some Mipedians and Danians do this too."

"Bodal, that doesn't-" Tom began, before being quickly cut off by Bodal once more.

"I wasn't finished!" Bodal snapped, crossing his arms. "...as I was saying; Tribeless are when you get a creature who doesn't want to go to any of the other tribes, or the other tribes wouldn't take them. Now, a number of reasons could be lack of civility, morals, committing an unspeakable crime; it can go on and on and such."

"If there are so many reasons for a creature to become tribeless, why aren't there any?" Tom asked, before adding. "I mean, why haven't I heard about them before?"

"Well, think about it. All of the nearby land is the territory of the 4 tribes. And considering that tribless are the rejects or abonders of their tribes -most likely living out in shame or secrecy- very few trust and respect them. So the tribeless are normally forced to live in horrible places in order to live in peace and not be driven out. Thus, why Smildon originally stayed in Prexxor's Chasm. Actually, now that I think about it; He might have even been born there, but then again I've only heard stories about him so I have no idea about his complete backstory. Yet his described characteristics don't match any other tribes, seeing as he's…"

And just like that, Bodal went along on a tangent again. It wasn't like Tom noticed, seeing as he was too busy thinking about the possibility of the tribeless. If they were all strong like Smildon and Hitali, then they'd be great for his deck!

"Whoa...man, wait until I tell Kaz and the gang! Thanks Bodal, I owe you o-" Tom began, before once again being interrupted by Bodal.

"You owe me three, actually. Seeing as how i've answered three of your questions." That smug look returned, and Bodal hopped off his stool and over to some near by battle gear. "You can start organizing with the turwigs to your right, and then make your way around the room counterclockwise. And make sure not to step on any of my papers!"

It would take Tom another five hours to weasel his way out of helping Bodal.

* * *

The port court was, as always, full of players. So when Tom called Kaz, Sarah, and Peyton to meet up with him by the drones suddenly; it wasn't surprising that two out of the three of them would be busy.

Kaz was stuck in a drone match, and Sarah was on a secret Mt. Pillar scan quest.

Thankfully, Peyton was free. So Tom had Peyton meet him outside by Imthor's drone, on a bench near some of the greenery. Just far away so that no one would hear, but not to shady to suspect something…

"Wow, you know i've heard rumors about there being Tribeless Mipedians, but no one ever talks about 'em before, dude." Peyton said, taking a second to sip on the soda he'd snagged from the port cort. "Mipeidans consider it a major "no-no" to let them happen, you know? All that secret Mipedian knowledge and such."

"Then why doesn't anyone talk about them? You'd figure someone would slip and mention it…" Tom muttered, examining an overworld map he managed to swipe from Bodal's place.

"Well, no one has, like, ever met a tribeless that didn't straight up attack them, save you and your bro Smildon." With hands moving wildly for emphasis, Peyton had always been an interesting person to talk to. "Plus the ones who get away are normally super, super hidden. And they like to keep it that way, know what i'm saying? Just imagine like, 50 angry Najarins."

"Wait, are they all as strong as him?!" Tom exclaimed, eyes wide.

"I dunno, probably? Listen i've only gathered this from the few times anyone's answered me bro. Even the other Mipedians don't know who's really tribeless or who's, well… gone." Peyton shrugged, his voice drifting off at the last part.

"Wait, you mean that-"

"Yeah, but they're usually just rumors…" Peyton's voice seemed to get calmer. "Something to give some dudes to hold on to, you know?"

"Yeah...yeah I know." Tom sighed, letting a silence settle between them.

"Oh, Sorry Major T I didn't-" Peyton fumbled with his words, trying to backtrack on what he said.

"Nah, it's cool, don't sweat it Peyton." Tom replied as he sat the map down on the bench they were on. He smoothed it over and reached for a pencil. "You got any idea where some towns are? I'm thinking that if I ask around, I could find something about it."

"Huh, well…" Peyton plucked the pencil, examining the map before placing a few X's here and there. "Those are only a few I know about, sense my Mipedian bros tends to want to show of their homes and such. Apparently a lot of them came from small villages!"

"Thanks Peyton, I couldn't have done this without you." Tom smiled, quickly folding up the map and stashing it in his pocket. "And if you could, maybe just keep it between me, Kaz, and Sarah? If I actually find something, I don't want another Threshold incident, you know?"

"No problemo Major T! Just make sure to include us if you find anything, alright?" Peyton smiled back. "And make sure to bring plenty, and I mean plenty of water my dude. Desert gets hot like nobodies business."

"I've been here for like what, two years? I think I can handle the desert Peyton." Tom smugly said, grabbing his scanner. "I'm gonna head on home and make sure I got everything though. See ya in a few?"

"See ya in a few dude," Peyton nodded, waving Tom off as he ported back to earth. Peyton himself got up from the bench and made his way to Imthor's Drone. He had a battle to win, and he wasn't going to be late for this one. This was going to be his sith battle before finally getting a shot at Imthor, and he was ready.

* * *

 _The water pushed and pulled, it swirled and swished, it rose and fall. Their gate, their connection to the outside, was normally calm and still. Even when people emerged from its depths with supplies and such; rarely did it stir._

 _Yet, today, the water seemed to thrash and squirm, slapping against the edges like miniature tidal waves._

 _At times when the water became wildly, it meant change was in the air._

 _Yet would this change be good or bad? She did not know..._

 _"Tide speaker," a voice called out, footsteps becoming louder and louder as a figure approached. "Tide speaker, is there any change in the pools?"_

 _"None, I fear." She croaked, her voice raspy from her age. "It seems as if we are in for another strange occurrence…"_

 _"...do you know it's nature?"_

 _"..."_

 _Silence envelopes the two; the pools making up for this by their splashing and slapping. It could almost be peaceful, if not for the sense of foreboding._

 _"Perhaps." Sticking her clawed hand into the water, she felt the current lightly push and pull . "The playful nature of the suggests a kind heart, yet their current shows they have a warriors spirit; one that has suffered many hardships…"_

 _"So they're young and hurt? I swear if it's another orphan i'm going to beat the everloving carp out of the creature who-"_

 _"No, they are not like us...they are not from our world…"_

 _"...so a human?"_

 _"I believe so...but the waters have never acted this way before. Not like the others…"_

 _"...so an important human."_

 _"In a way, yes."_

 _The silence envelops them again, just as the tides do with the beach. And just like the oceans, sometimes you'd never know what'd you find once your searched its dark depths…_

 _She hoped that when the time came, her fellow tribeless would make the right choice on what to do with this "human"._


	2. Right Place, Lost Time

"C'mon Peyton! Kick that Codemaster's code!"

As normal, the port court was as crowded as it could be. With such a popular game as chaotic, who wouldn't want to be where all the action was. And it seemed that today's main attraction was Peyton, the one and only, rematch with CodeMaster Imthor. The chaotic player had managed to get 7 wins in Imthor's drone once again, and was currently in his Codemaster match right now! So far the match had been rather close one, with both of them down to their last creatures.

"He's almost got him" Sarah, on the edge of her seat, smiled widely. She'd been there from the start, not wanting to miss this. "He just needs to be careful and he'll win!"

"Man, Tom's going to hate that he missed this!" Kaz exclaimed, clutching his drink in excitement. "He's been wanting to see Imthor battle ever since we met the guy! Plus, Peyton's strategy is great!"

"Well you called him to tell him, right?" Sarah glanced quickly at Kaz before turning back to the tv, her eyes practically glued to the screen.

"Yeah, I tried, but he said he was busy." Kaz rolled his eyes. "I swear he's going to regret not coming, I haven't seen a match this good since-"

Kaz stopped mid sentence, hearing the telltale sound of someone getting coded. Turning his head back to the screen, he frowned as Peyton slumped in defeat, and Imthor quickly changed back from his Aa'nue scan.

"You battled well, Peytonic Master." Imthor said, walking across the platform to meet with Peyton. His golden mask and monotone voice stopping any emotion from leaking out.

"Same to you, Dude," Peyton replied cheerfully, but his face didn't hide his tired acceptance of the defeat. And before anything else could be hear, the screen shifted to another battle.

"Man, he's been so pumped about this match…" Kaz said, turning back to Sarah. Slowly the conversation volume in the Port court rose, now that the codemaster match had finished. It wasn't a _rule_ for the port court to quiet down during those matches, it was something everyone did. You'd never know when you'd hear a good comeback or a secret about Chaotic.

"Yeah, I'm gonna go meet him by the trams." Sarah sighed as she excused herself, getting out of her chair and grabbing her neglected drink. "You coming?"

"Sure," Kaz said, getting out of his chair and making his way through the departing crowd. "But as I was saying, Tom's been exploring the desert for nearly a week now. He hasn't even ported back here except for water and to avoid any random sand storms."

"He's trying to find tribeless, right?" Sarah asked, raising an eyebrow. "Well it going to take longer than a week to find any. Tribless are known for two things, and one of them's their ability to hide. If they were found too easily, then there probably wouldn't be any Tribeless at all!"

"Far enough, but what's the other thing?" Kaz asked just as the entered the tram station. It was surprisingly empty for that time of day, with only a few other players here and there. If you listen well enough, you could still hear the commotion of the port court. It's faint echo only eerily set up the grim nature of Sarah's next few words.

"They're often too dangerous to mess with." Sarah's replied, too lost in her search to realize how dark the words sounded, her eyes focused on an upcoming tram. Peyton's signature green shirt showed through tinted windows. "But that's never stopped anyone else before…"

During these past few days in the Mipedian desert, Tom had realized something important about himself. Something he should have known by now, but for some reason seemed to elude him until this very moment.

* * *

Tom hated the Desert.

He hated it so, _so_ much; because every time he thought he saw something, no matter if it was a glimmer on the horizon or a dune that looked a little bigger then the rest, the results were the same.

It was either a mirage, or just more sand.

"Why couldn't they have been somewhere wet, like the waterlands or a beach?" Tom groaned as he trudged through the sands, knowing fully well why there were there.

If they even were there...

To be honest, Tom was starting to think that maybe Smildon had tricked him. It would have been out of character though, as Smildon was more of a creature of action. And the way he and Hitali chatted that night, it had to be true.

But he'd gone to countless settlements, on both the Mipedian and Overworld borders, and all the answers had been the same; no one knew any odd creatures passing by. And that was with the places he wasn't kicked out of…

Looking at his map once more, Tom felt himself scowl as the countless X's graced his vision. All a bunch of dead ends, towns with no answers and Oases with no creatures. With a sigh, he folded up his map and grabbed his jacket. With the almost finished setting, colder weather was bound to come with the up and coming darkness.

Above him, the stars slowly began to appear, and as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, it only improved. They glowed and flickered with a vibrancy he'd never saw at home. The stars, with their own constellations and clusters, were always nice to look at in Perim. He'd overheard from Bodal and Maxxor that there were names for these constellations, but he couldn't really remember them. Mostly the creatures used them the same way humans used to, for navigation and such. Yet they were often depicted in overworld arts, and most likely in Mipedian arts as well…

And even though he might port back empty handed, the view of the night sky would at least make this trip somewhat worth it.

"Maybe I should just call it quits." Tom sighed, flopping onto the sand and finally allowing himself some rest. A solid week of nothing but sandy shoes and tired limbs, and he'd gotten nothing. Maybe taking a break would allow him some time to rethink his strategy, and maybe find some new leads...

The wind blew by him, gently stirring the sands, but nothing more. It was almost as if it's silence was answering his question…

And then, a few feet to his right, the ground exploded upwards, with a shower of light and sand.

Tom scrambled, as quickly as some one near an explosion could, from the spot, his mind frazzled by the suddenly loud boom. He could barely see past his own face, the cloud of sand that formed had blocked his vision. He tried to keep any sand from getting in his eyes, else he'd have to waste his water.

Yet, a beam of light cut through the cloud like a hot knife through butter, nearly grazing his cheek as it landed in the dunes behind him. Quickly falling back down to the ground, he tried to gather his senses. His ears were ringing, he could barely see, he was stuck in a battle between some creatures…

Tom reached for his scanner, but something grabbed his arm; something slimy and wet and definitely not Mipedian.

Before he could even yell, he was hoisted up and restrained, his arms and legs bound by limbs that glowed in the sandy darkness. The smell of fresh water filled his nose, and as the sand cleared, Tom began to notice more and more creatures around him. Only their figures could be made out, though.

"Don't come any closer!" The creature holding him screeched, looking around frantically. Tom tried to get out of his grip, but found himself tightly pulled to his captor. "Or the-"

"Let go of me you slimy sack of scum!" Tom yelled, unable to do much else.

The other creatures froze, but so did Tom's captor. Two snail like eyestalks slivered down, gazing at Tom for a moment, before a surprised squeak escaped the captor. "A-A-"

Before anymore could be said, something seemed to grab Tom; not physically, but mentally. Believing it to be the M'arrillian, he tries to fight it off, but he soon realized he wasn't even looking the creature in the eye…

Slowly, the scene around him shifted, morphed, changed into nothing but inky blackness. The feeling of someone holding him remained, _but as Tom looked around, he couldn't see anyone there._

" _W-what's going on?!" He yelled, only to find his words sucked away from his throat, pulled out of his head and towards something else. "L-let me go!"_

 _Yet the void did not respond. It nearly began to pull more and more from his mind, from his memories. Friends, family, enmities; all their interactions became to merge and be robbed from him. He felt tears start to trickle down his face as he forgot names, places, even simple words…_

 _And, for a moment, all was still…_

 _Then, gently, his memories were given back to him._ _Everything was still dark. The feeling of being held was slowly drifting away again..._

 _There wasn't a sound or a speckle of light, there wasn't a scent or a taste in his mouth…_

 _Tom felt numb, like he wasn't even existing. It was almost as if he'd never been in the first place…_

 _It was peaceful, but frightening all at once. His mind screamed with each new thought, but his mouth remained silent. He felt like he could be everywhere at once, but nowhere at all…._

 _Slowly, voices faded in and out, dancing all around him. His mind tried to place faces with those voices, to attach names or at the very least species, but he couldn't. Even though, at the moment, they sounded so familiar, he couldn't place a single person. Imagines, slowly fading in, meshed around in his head like a thick memory soup. Slowly, he felt the air upon his body._

 _Slowly, he regained his senses…_

 _His eyes opened, once, to see an odd creature. They seemed to be arguing with someone, but the moment they saw Tom's eyes open, they stopped and stared. He stared back, his mind was too foggy to look around, to panic..._

 _Carefully, the green creature reached up, gave a sad smile, and shut his eyes for him._

 _He didn't fight it, he couldn't…_

 _He felt his senses fade once again, and he embraced the emptiness once more…_

 _Slowly, as he felt the grass under his hands and the cool breeze on his face, Tom opened his eyes..._

 _...and woke up._

* * *

"...ugh, my head." Tom groaned, trying to shield his eyes from the harsh sunlight peering in from the trees. In the distance, he heard birds chirping and bugs buzzing, completely normal for the Forest of Life.

But Tom didn't remember coming to the Forest of life, he didn't even remembering porting out of the desert.

Slowly, shakily, he tried to stand. The world started to spin the second he did, so he quickly opted to return to sitting and gathering himself. As he looked around, he did notice that yes, this was definitely the Forest of Life. Yes, he was currently sitting dazed and flat on his ass. And yes, for some reason, all his stuff was gone…

And there was an odd pain in his shoulder…

Lifting up his shirt, which seemed far more tattered then it had before, he noticed his shoulder had a huge scar upon it. It was ugly, and still seemed ache, but it was clear he'd been doctored while he'd passed out. The memory of the night before came back in waves. The blast, the M'arrillian, the…

Wait, what else had happened? And more importantly, why hadn't he ported back when he was hurt? Wait...

"My scanner!" Tom cried out, instantly reaching into his pockets for the familiar device. When his hands wrapped around it, he felt his body relax, the tense moment gone. Pulling it out, he noticed how it seemed to be a bit banged up as well, no doubt matching its owner. "Oh man, that could have been bad…But it still doesn't explain how I got here...or where all my stuff went…"

Closing his eyes, he tried to let himself calm down and see if any sort of memory flow back to him. Yet everything afterwards was blank. He remembered…

He remembered….

"Ugh...c'mon!" Tom yelled, eyes screwed tight as he tried to recall anything that happened the night before. Yet it only came up empty. "How the heck did I get this scar?!"

Maybe whoever found him hastily casted some mugic, not knowing that if he'd scan back he'd be fine. Maybe that's why he was here, in case he'd died. It would be troublesome to deal with a dead human, and if they were tribeless, it'd no doubt bring unwanted attention…

But the Forest of life was way too far from the Mipedian desert to travel in one night!

"But...they could have used a flux bobble…" He muttered, trying once again to get up. His time the world seemed to comply with his wish, as it only spun slightly before he got his balance. "Ugh, man Kaz isn't going to believe this…"

Pressing Kaz's screen name in his contact list, he examined his surroundings more deeply as he waited. The place looked familiar, but then again, that was easy to say in the forest of life. You could get lost for days if you didn't know where you were…

"Tom?!"

Tom looked down at his scanner and smiled. "The one any onl-"

"Where are you?! Where the hell have you been?!" Kaz yelled, staring at Tom with a look of shock and rage and relief and worry and so much more than Tom had expected. "Are you hurt?! Why haven't you-"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down Kaz, where's the fire?" Tom replied quickly, not sure what was even going on. "I'm in the Forest of Life, and I'm fine, except for this weird scar I got on my shoulder-"

"Don't move! I'm on my way over!"

"Wait, Kaz-"

Before anything more could be said, Kaz had signed off as he ported onto Perim. Tom scowled down at his scanner, knowing it would have been easier if he'd simply ported into chaotic. Yet, maybe waiting here would be a better idea. It would give him time for his head to clear, and if he ported back, the evidence of his latest adventure would be wiped away.

It would be a few minutes later that Tom would spot Kaz. The redhead was wildly running through the woods, looking pretty bad off himself. Tom called out when Kaz began to miss him.

"Kaz! Over here!"

The moment Kaz turned to face Tom, it finally clicked that something was very, very wrong. Kaz's eyes seemed more sleep deprived than normal, his hair a bit more unkempt than before; hell, he even looked more scrawny then he usually did. Yet what cue Tom in on the most major change, what really tipped him off, was how Kaz's eyes lit up when they spotted Tom.

He bolted, and nearly tackled Tom in a hug. It took the overworlder player everything in him not to fall over, as his previous case of vertigo came back ten fold.

"Oh my god Tom! It really is you!" Kaz yelled, pulling away to get a better look at him. "Do you have any idea what you've done to everyone! We got a good third of chaotic looking for your sorry code, jerk!"

"What?" Tom raised an eyebrow, mild panic running through his body. "Why? I've only been gone like, a night! Did something happen?"

"A night?!" Kaz pulled away completely now, happiness taking a back seat as rage began to shine through. "Tom, you've been gone for six months!"

The rest of the afternoon consisted of Tom blankly staring as Kaz ranted, cried, and called everyone up on his scanner to let Tom know he was alive.

Tom just stared at the current date on his scanner, as if he was about to wake up. As if this was some sort of crazy dream…

He really wished it was…

* * *

 _ **Carefully, the tide speaker watched as the boy conversed with his friend. She felt the staff between her claws strain under her weight, but it was enough to keep her standing…**_

 _ **The ritual was a success. The boy remembered almost nothing, which was far better than what she expected…**_

 _ **Just as she heard footstep enter her cave, she lifted a clawed hand and touched the tide pool. The imagine befor her rippled out of existence, and with it her worries. That boy was safe, safe from harm and safe from them.**_

 _ **And they him, as well.**_

" _Tide speaker!"_ _ **A voice, young and normally mirthful, called out. Yet now, it was solemn and frightened. She knew why.**_ " _Tide speaker, is he alright?"_

" _ **Yes," she muttered, turning to face her guest. "The boy woke up fine, his memory of us is gone, and his friends are with him now. It seemed all went well."**_

" _Oh…Good. That's good."_ _ **The young speaker stated after a moment, their hands going to grab the strap of their satchel, wringing it sadly.**_ " _That's very good."_

" _ **Oh come now," the Tide Speaker muttered, shuffling closer to the young speaker and laying a clawed hand on her shoulder. "You know this is for the best…"**_

" _I...I know, I just wished it didn't have to be…"_


	3. Welcome Back!

The port court was swarming when he arrived. Many players were in the midst of rushing about, ether to chaotic or to another match; yet Tom did notice how people would stare at him. Their eyes would flash wider for a moment, before quickly turning away and whispering to someone nearby. Or, in the worse case, someone would pull of their scanner and snag a picture of the elusive "Missing" Tom Majors.

Kaz's sleep deprived look remained, but Tom had thankfully reverted back to normal when they'd ported to the port court. His clothes felt like the normally did, the scar had vanished, and so did his headache. He still wished his memory came back as well, but beggars can't be choosers.

"Tom!?" A voice, rising above the clatter of the court, called out. Tom turned his head, and spotted Sarah and Peyton sitting right at their normal table. He noticed some changes rather quickly, such as Sarah's new haircut and Peyton's growth spurt. He also noticed the shock in their looks, and how they practically bolted from the table to hug him.

"Major T!" Peyton yelled, practically picking Tom up as he hugged him. "Holy crap dude! Where have you been?!"

"We thought you were dead!" Sarah yelled, socking Tom in the shoulder when he was set down. Just as quickly, she pulls him into a hug as well. "What happened?! You gotta tell us all the details! Did you find the Tribeless?"

"Did they keeps you in some creepy prison?" Peyton asked, leaning closer as an excited tone took his voice. "What did they look like? Are they all like Smildon? Or are they so different you couldn't tell who they came from?"

"Guys," Tom began, holding his hands up a bit defensively. His headache was starting to ebb back. "Could we maybe sit down first, just relax for a bit…"

Peyton and Sarah shared a quick, worried look, before nodding and motioning back to the table. It was around that time that Kaz came rushing back, ripped down flyers practically overtook his arms.

"Sorry about that buddy, I had to take theses down since we found you." Kaz replied, dumping most in a nearby trash can. One of them managed to avoid it's trashy fate and fluttered over to the table, just close enough for him to pick up.

"You guys made posters?" Tom asked, mostly surprised and honestly touched. As his eyes scanned the page, his jaw dropped. "A Chaor scan, three prehistoric scans, seven other rare cards of your choosing from our decks?! Guys, what the heck, why did you make an offer like that?!"

"'Cause you're our friend, dude! And we'd figured people would be more inclined to answerin' your whereabouts if there was a little reward on the table." Peyton nonchalantly replied, leaning back in his chair. Yet the smile quickly faltered, "But then everyone started trying to get the cards, and it didn't turn out to well…."

"Besides," Kaz smiled, grabbing the flyer and crumpling it. He tossed it behind his back, and didn't seem to acknowledge that it didn't land in the trash can. "We'd probably trade our whole decks if it meant you being ok, Tom."

"As since you're ok, how about you tell us what happened!" Sarah added, smiling slyly. "We looked all over Perim for you! Peyton got arrested, Kaz had to go through another coliseum match in the underworld-"

"Whoa, what?!"

"-I know right!" Sarah leaned closer, practically half way on the table now. "So c'mon, what's your story? Where did you go for the past six months?!"

"...uh...well." Tom leaned back, looking away from his friends and practically towards anything else. "I...I don't remember."

"...what?" Sarah asked, raising an eyebrow. "You're kidding, right?"

"Nope, I woke up in the Forest of Life still thinking it was October. " Tom replied a bit guiltily, rubbing the back of his neck as he turned to face his friends. "Trust me, i've been trying too! The only thing I do remember is getting caught up in a fight, a M'arrillian was there-"

"What, really?! What did it look like?!"

"Uh...glowy?" Tom shrugged, "kind of like the world's lamest octopus-"

"And that's not the only thing, look at these pictures I took when I found him," Kaz interrupted, pulling out his scanner and showing the group he pictures he'd taken earlier. "Check out the scar!"

"Whoa, what?!"

"Oh my god!"

And just like that, the table divulged into questioning, speculation, and catching Tom up on what had happened during the past six months. It was actually rather nice, and the situation almost seemed to fade back to their old banter. Kaz and Sarah still cut each off or finished each other's sentences, Peyton still told cheesy jokes. It was good, and Tom almost felt a part of himself missing this.

Yet the rest of him still felt like it was October...

Apparently Sarah got a girlfriend, and that they'd live only a town away back on earth. Peyton had lost his first rematch to Imthor, but one the second in an attempt to get more information about the tribeless. And Lastly, Kaz had been filling in for Tom at the Overworld arsenal, since Bodal was his only major connection to overworld information.

"Believe it or not, Bodal actually seemed like he was missing you." Kaz replied, "and Maxxor's probably going to calm down once he see's you back at the arsenal. He couldn't send any overworlders out cause you know, more important give stuff, but he did always ask me if you'd come back yet."

"Right, right." Tom nodded, flipping through his scanner. "Honestly I'd be a bit worried if he _did_ send out a search party."

"What'cha doin' Major T?" Peyton asked as he snagged a soda from a passing service bot. The bot paid Peyton no mind as it went along its way.

"I'm wondering if I scanned anything while I was missing," he paused, squinting at all the familiar scans, "maybe I was quick enough to get something before they, or whoever, wiped my mind."

"You don't think it was the M'arrillian, do you?" Kaz asked, leaning closer.

"I dunno, maybe? Can M'arrillians even wipe minds? I thought they could only control them…" Tom mused, before stopping on a rather new, pale white creature card. "Well that's new…"

"What is it?" Sarah asked, leaning closer to try and see. By now, everyone at the table was peering at Tom's scanner, at the mysterious card before them…

The creature looked rather humanoid, with a similar body and working arms. Yet their green skin and hair-shaped tentacles showed their aquatic nature truly. The image was of them working on some battle gear, and tongue sticking out as they focused, eyes covered by thick goggles. The stats weren't the best, but they certainly weren't the worst. The highest was wisdom, yet the lowest was power….yet the name and the description stuck out the most.

 **Picsis**

 _Dreaming of adventure, Picsis often fixes battlegear for tales of the outside world…_

"Dude," Peyton said as he marveled the card. "The borders white…"

"I know," Tom replied, equally shocked, he couldn't stop staring at the card, wondering what or who Picsis was. Obviously they were a mechanic, from the look of it, but…

How did he get a scan of them?

"I've never seen a creature like that…" Sarah mused, turning the scanner towards her to get a better view. "Do you know what this means?"

"We have a clue?"

"Yeah, and you got a ultra rare scan!" Peyton exclaimed, before quickly getting his mouth covered by both Sarah and Kaz.

"Peyton! Do you want the whole court to hear you?" Kaz not so quietly whispered, eyes darting around the court like mad.

"Psh, coming from Mr. "Hey check out my new past perim scans"?"

"Hey!"

Yep, even if six months had passed, nothing had really changed.

* * *

The cool air of the north soothed Smildon's mind. It's harsh, reality gripping wind could always steel his mind to the here and now, bringing him away from any memory that swallowed him whole. It was almost a blessing when Maxxor had him stationed up near the north, with Blugon and other ice adapted Overworlders…

He was still getting use to being part of a tribe again.

No longer dependent on himself, teamwork had alluded him for some time. Sure, the human had helped him, and even surprised him, but that was a different kind of teamwork. The human could leave whenever it wanted, Smildon's team couldn't. Which meant that if they felt like it, they'd annoy the crud out him until something happened.

Normally Smildon would simply walk out into the cold, just to clear his head. If he was feeling particularly annoyed, though, a scuffle would happen and someone would come to break them up. It was rare that that happened, but it wasn't unexpected….

Thankfully, he chose option one today.

As his eyes surveyed the snowy terrain, something in the distance seemed to catch his attention. Off in the distance, something akin to a light seemed to shine. It would flicker once, twice, before stopping and repeating again.

Smildon quickly made his way over. He knew it couldn't have been anyone from the camp, they'd be foolish to track him out like this. Which could only mean…

" 'bout time you got saw me!" A furry creature, covered in cloaks to shield himself from the cold, called out. "Nearly freeze my tail off waitin' for you!"

"Ugh…" Smildon muttered, already pushing down the next migraine as he walked over. "Why are you here? I thought you'd gotten all the information you'd wanted out of me-"

"Easy, easy. I was just sent up here to tell ya your human's safe and sound." The cloaked creature replied, holding his paw up in defense. "Mind's wiped, body's healed, etc etc. Just remember the deal."

"What do you take me for, a child?" Smildon's growled, yet felt a wave of relief wash over him. That stupid boy was bound to get himself killed one of these days. "I've kept far more secrets than you'll ever know."

"Alright, alright, yeesh." The cloaked creature, probably rolling its eyes under its cloak, turned to leave. "As long as we got everythin' straight. I don't care. The farther that _thing_ is away from us, the better…"

"Whatever you say; just get away from here before someone else sees you."

And with that, the Tribeless creature began to shuffle off into the snow. Smildon, likewise, did the same, making his way back to the camp he was stationed at. He wouldn't lie, it did make him feel a little better that Tom was back with the other humans. Sure, he was a crafty and quick, but those traits could only get you so far. It would have been a matter of time before he…

Smildon quickly shook his head, banishing the thought from his mind. He had more important things to focus on, like what to say when Tom when he finally found him. The fool would ask, or probably demand an explanation. Yet Smildon wasn't ever really good with words….

Well, he'd have plenty of time to come up with something…

* * *

Tom had been studying in the library when it happened. The book by Edgar Allen Poe laid wedged open by a almost blackened eraser, pencil furiously scribbling down anything that might prove useful. His lit teacher had decided to give out a Pop Quiz today, and he'd lucked out by having her for his last class. He'd knew he had to get a good grade, else risk his B dropping to a C.

So, he didn't really expect his scanner to start beeping, no after it's six months of dormancy.

Tom had stared at the device once, twice, before his lead covered hands rushed for the contraptions and pressed down on the button so fiercely that he'd sore he broke it.

He expected a flash of some heralding adventure to cross his vision, some sort of sign to tell him what had really happened…

Insead, all he got was….

Nothing.

Only the image of him waking up in the Forest of Life, his meeting with Kaz and the gang, and that was all. All that time, all that waiting, and all he had was nothing, it made his blood boil at the total let down! He was angry, enraged even! At the very least he expected something! But to get nothing at all, only a few memories after and a-

Quickly, he grabbed his scanner once more, flipping through his online deck until her saw the scan…

Picsis, the mysterious creature who he'd some how managed to get a scan of…

What did they have to do with all of this?

He'd quickly sent his code back to Perim as he continued his studying, channeling his rage into furiously scribbling down notes. He'd have to let his Perim self handle the rest, but at least he knew he wasn't dead…

It would be a few moments later that Kaz would rush in and try to tell Tom what he already knew. Yet the distraction would help him calm down…

He'd end up getting a 85 on the quiz, boosting his grade from and 80 to and 82.


	4. Memory Match and Talking with your boss

Tom didn't come back to Chaotic for at least another two days. It was more under Kaz's instruction then his own, but he decided not to fight it and allow some time away. Yet everything seemed pretty normal. He didn't feel too different, he didn't feel like he'd been gone for months, at least not on earth. He clearly remembered all the homework he did and the new classmates he met. He didn't really feel anything…

Maybe it was because of the Chaotic effect, how his earth self remained and such.

It was on the third day that he'd finally had enough and ported back to Chaotic, but not before giving his Mom a quick hug. She only assumed he was going to the movies with Kaz, which was true. But Tom just wanted to be sure he'd said a proper good bye if anything else happened.

So here he was, waiting at the drones for two competitors to leave so he and Kaz could try out whatever weird creature he scanned. The breeze blew the planted grass by, shaking the small trees that decorated the area. Next to them, the Crellen Drones shines with its cerulean shine, the blue almost matching the sky perfectly. Tom never really noticed the dome being that vibrante before…

Was it always so bright?

"You excited?" Kaz asked, leaning over Tom's shoulder to get a better view of his scanner. The scan of Picsis remained in it shiny silvery white wonder. "I mean, maybe if you think about yourself, you'll be able to remember what happened."

"Yeah, but I wanna test her out first." Tom replied,looking down and squinting at the image. "I mean, we don't know who she is. She could have been wiped too, or maybe she's feral like some of the other Tribeless."

"Tom, i'm pretty sure that if you make battle gear, you still have some sort of humanity….Or, would it be creaturity? Whatever it is, she's probably civilized enough that she'll be fine." Kaz smirked, pulling away from his friend and starting at the battle dome again. He still seemed a bit tired, yet was doing far much better then when Tom first saw him. Some color was starting to return to his cheeks, and he was more relaxed than before. "Speaking of battle gear, I'm surprised you haven't gone to get information from Bodal, or really any of the overworlders."

"I want to figure out what I can on my own, first." Tom shrugged, looking away from the scan and back to the drones. What was taking those players so long, he'd go missing for another six or so months if they didn't hurry up. "I mean, if the tribeless are so secretive, I don't want to give anything away…"

"Right, I understand...But maybe after this, we could swing on by so that Maxxor can take a chill pill." Kas stated a bit cheekily, looking to the drones as well. He shoves his hands in his pockets, recalling a previous few rumors he'd hear. "Apparently he's been a bit on edge when he heard you'd been missing for so long."

"Did he send anyone?" Tom questioned, a bit surprised.

"Kind of? It wasn't an official order or anything, but he did add a sweet pay bonus if anyone found you while they were out on patrol." Kaz replied honestly, a bit of a sad smile on his face. "I mean, he can't just send a search party out to the Mipedian Desert, it could stir up a few angry Mipedian Royals."

The drone doors opened with a quick whoosh of hydraulics, just in time for Tom and Kaz to see the two previous players walking out of the other side. He didn't recognize them, and they didn't see him. He should have watched the screen, maybe he could have seen who won the match then.

"I figured." Tom nodded along, walking in and making his way to a scanner deck. "I'm honestly glad he didn't send anyone over, I'd feel horrible if the alliance was ruined because of me."

"Well it didn't, and you're back. All's well that ends well and stuff. Now come on, let's see if you remember anything!" Kaz said with a smile, placing his scanner on the deck and already getting his gear in order. It was agreed beforehand that it would be a simple one on one battle. Tom figured Kaz would pick Chaor, like he always did, so there wasn't any mystery there. As for area, the Forest of life was also agreed upon. Tom ignored the robotic drones around him and started to come up with a plan. Even though they'd be using this time to try and figure things out, it was still a match. And like hell was Tom going to go easy on his best buddy. Picsis was still a new character, one he had to figure out, and possible use in matches, if he could.

He stared at the card as he went through the motions, waiting for his turn to call out the challenge. Kaz smiled, sending one last look over at his buddy. A hint of worry glistened in his eyes, through the rose tinted glasses he wore.

"You sure you ready for this, Tom?" He asked, trying not to let his emotions dampen the mood.

"...I gotta know what happened," Tom replied, after a second of waiting. He looked at the screen again, before swiping Picsis's scan to Chaor's.

"Picsis attacks Chaor!"

With that, his vision went white.

* * *

The sun was warm, it's glow danced across his skin, yet felt cool compared to the heat of the underworld. The brightness stung his eyes, but only for a second, as they began to adjust to his surroundings. He flexed his hands, then his arms, and in a matter of moments, he was Chaor. Not completely, to be exact, but he was always able to adjust to being the Underworld leader better than his other scans. He always enjoyed the feeling, the confidence that rushed into his own personality. It was weird, sure, but it remained his little secret.

"Alright," Chaor's voice, booming and gravely, echoed across the forest. He cracked a cocky grin as he looked around. "C'mon Tom, where you hiding at?"

Yet all he heard was the lack lazy breeze, and the sound of some bird chirping in the distance. All of it was white noise, made the make the area seem far more real then it was. But no Tom, no Picsis, not a single word. Kaz instantly felt his nerves spike, and he started to roam around the area. All he saw was the flora and fauna, but no Picsis.

"Tom?! C'mon, you ok buddy?!"

He picked up the pace as he moved onwards, starting to bat aside whatever got in his way. He was yelling now, loudly and skittishly and his mind was racing. What if it was a trap, what if the creature was infected with something, like Razmus, but worse! What if he was trapped in some sort of trance, or what it was like Maxxor and that one mugic?!

"Tom! Tom where are you?!"

He couldn't lose his buddy again, not after all this.

"Tom! T-"

"Over here!"

Chaor's head whipped so fast, Kaz swore he'd probably break his neck right then and there. Yet instantly, he was charging to the direction he heard Picsis's voice. He pushed aside plants, almost burnt the ground with each step, yet by the time he'd made it, he'd calmed himself down to a simmer.

In front of him stood Picsis, not smiling like her picture portrayed, but in fact frowning. She seemed to be a good bit shorter then him, but would definitely be a little taller than his normal height. Her hair seemed to move wildly, flicking around like a cat's tail would, yet each at a different pace and time. It was a little distracting, but Kaz had dealt with worse distractions. Other than these facts, she looked every bit like her Scan. She also looked completely fine, no bad mugic effects, no infection, no nothing.

Kaz mentally sighed in relief.

"Jeez, talk about a weird spawn spot," Chaor mused, looking around him. There was a small creek, shallow and crystal clear, yet it was rather cramped around the trees and plants, being more of minor inconvenience to move from.

"I didn't spawn here." Picsis's voice, young and surprisingly chipper, replied. She turned her gaze to the small stream, and ran a hand through the water. "I...just felt like coming here."

"Which you?" Chaor asked, leaning against the nearest tree as they waited. For what, neither really knew. Maybe a clue, maybe for everything to come back to Tom and their mystery be answered. Yet they both knew this would take time, it would take patience, and it would take some luck as well. "Does any of this seem familiar to you? To her?'

A pause, Picsis rose up, looking at the sky and squinting. Slowly, she smiled, showing off rows of sharp teeth as she spread her arms out to catch the sun rays.

"Nope!" Picsis replied, almost humming as she spoke. "But she I think she likes it. It feels different, different from...I think where she used to live?"

"Where does she live?" Chaor asked, not moving from his spot. His eyebrow was raised, but he'd seen weirder things happen in the drones. Some people could get pretty out there if they wanted too.

"I dunno, i'm trying to think on it but…ugh, every time I do, it shifts. Sometimes it's a desert, a cavern, a forest?" Picsis said, the once pleased look vanishing. "Screw it, I'm gonna try thinking about myself instead."

"I thought you already did that?"

"Nah, I wanted to get a feel for this first." Picsis responded honestly, sitting down on the river bank and relaxing. "And seeing as I didn't know what to expect, I figured i'd wait and see if the she was infected or something."

"Good call, good call...so, you uh, see anything yet?"

"...nah, so far it's-"

And then everything went dark.

* * *

 _Suddenly, he's not there, he's somewhere else. Somewhere dark and cool, but not cold. He can feel the sand beneath his feet, and the soothing sound of waves crashing on a shore somewhere._

 _He tries to turn to around, but this is still a memory, he has no control here. He's still Picsis. And what Piscis does, after taking a few moments to breath, is turn around._

 _And low and behold, it's him. He's dressed in his original clothes, but they're beat up and stitched together and such, more like rags then anything really. He also seem a bit different too; a bit more scraggly, a bit more toned, and a whole lot tanner. Most importantly, he had his scanner with him, thankfully. He also seems a bit sad, as if he knows what's going to happen next. As if he knew far more about this person the the current Tom did._

" _...So," Picsis began, more of a sigh then anything. "You're going to go through with this?"_

" _I have to," Tom, memory Tom, said. He turns his gaze away from her, to the tide pools that surrounded them. In the distance, the sound of chanting could be heard, a dull hum to the emptiness and echoes of their voices. "Najarian's not the only creature that can read minds. If I go out there, then I risk bringing everyone here in danger. We both know that."_

" _...Then scan me."_

 _Picsis blinked, but when she did, Tom opened his own eyes._

 _He was looking at her now, looking at the creature who save him, who helped him, who trusted him ever since he got here. His memory flickered with the night he was injured. With the fall and the pain in his arm, and the warm glow of Picsis finding him before he passed out. Another blink, and he saw her laughing, giggling madly at some sort of prank they pulled on a bigger creature. Another blink, and he's helping her repair Battle gear, watching as her many limbs detach and reattach machinery at a precise rate. He blinks once more, and he sees her on the edge of a cliff, they two of them sharing their worries._

 _With each snippet of a memory, Tom realizes that in all these memories, she's happy._

 _But in this one, she isn't. Or at least, she's trying to. She doesn't want to send him off with a frown._

" _What?"_

" _You heard me!" Picsis exclaimed with a half-assed smirk, taking another step towards Tom. "You spent all this time with us, learning how to fix battle gear and helping other creatures. You've even saved my skin a few times! It's the least we can do for getting you mixed up with us in the first place."_

" _But what about everyone else? Aren't you worried I'd be able to find this place through you?" Tom asked cautiously, taking a few steps back._

" _Nope! I trust you. And if the rumor about scans having memories is true, then you'll see this conversation through me!" Her smile started to fade, and she turned her gaze away. "You'll remember that… that I'm glad to call you my friend, Tom. So scan me! Quickly, before they come back!"_

 _Tom felt his own face start to shift and stiffen. His eyes started to water, but he quickly tried to wipe the tears away as he smiled. Holding up the scanner, he hold down on the button as Picsis was bathed in the familiar blue glow._

 _His vision went white._

* * *

"-om! Tom!"

Tom's eyes, his own, real eyes, snapped open. He looked around hazily, blinking as his vision came back to focus. Above him was Kaz, normal, regular Kaz, looked scared out of his mind. Yet he starts to relax when he notices his friend's awake. The dark walls and blue lights seemed to accentuate his friend's gaze.

"What...happened?" Tom asked, his mouth still a bit slow on the uptake. He tried to sit up, but Kaz kept him from standing all the way.

"You passed out during the match, that's what happened!" Kaz snarked, starting to relax as his buddy slowly woke up. "But more importantly, what happened to you?! Are you feeling ok? Do you remember anything new?"

Tom paused, letting the flashes he caught earlier flicker across his mind. They didn't feel new, they felt like they'd always been there. Almost like they'd been uncovered then introduced. He could still feel the heat of the place, the sounds of the square. He could remember voices, some stronger while others fainter; but the only creature who ever stuck out was Picsis. Everyone else's faces were blurred, if they were even there…

"I remember her." Tom replied honestly, still trying to gather himself. "A lot of things are a bit fuzzy, but she's the clearest thing i can recall. Apparently she wanted me to scan her cause she didn't want me to go back empty handed."

"Oh great! At least something came out of all of this! Now lets not do it again, cause I don't think i can handle having to mercy code you each time you have a flashback. " Kaz replied as he stood up, offering Tom a hand. "We aren't going to do this again, are we?"

"...No," Tom took Kaz's hand, and allowed himself to be helped off the floor. He stumbled for a second, but was quickly able to regain his balance. He felt different now, a little light headed, but strangely level headed. "I think I'll be fine for now, if i get any more flashbacks, i think my mind's gonna explode. I was actually thinking about porting to Kiru city instead, you wanna tag along?"

* * *

The sun was setting in Perim, and Kiru city was just starting to settle down for the night. Many creatures were already in their homes, eating dinner or preparing for their nightly jobs. Guards were switching their posts, merchants were backing their supplies, and even those left on the streets were finding alleys to settle for the night. Yet Bodal could see none of this, as he was busy burying himself in his job.

Bodal stared at the piles and piles of paperwork in front of him, and for a moment he felt highly pleased. He'd managed to get the new budget designed, create three lists of which Battle gear needed repairs (from most to least important, separated alphabetically, timely, and the rank of who they belong to), and even set up the orders for new battle gear parts from the eastern side of the Overworld. He had signed, filled the proper forms, and even gotten his own paper work done in the span of three days. He'd swore he broke a personal record of his, as his writing hadn't been this fast and this through since his days as a soldier, recording his current commanders orders.

Yet whatever pride he felt was short lived, as he remember the rest of the work he'd have to do. Turning around, his simple grin fell at the sight of the heave battle gear he'd have to reorganize. He'd have Olkiex do it, but he'd also need him to work on the repairs if they were to make next week's deadline. Surprisingly, even though the death of Tangath Toborn allowed the tribes to restore their alliance, there was no peace in Perim. As the borders grew to become more patrolled and disputed, many tribes turned their attention inwards, and had started to try and enforce better law enforcement. Warriors and soldiers became guards, keeping watch over the smaller villages away from Kiru City, and when confronted with bandits and low lives, they needed battlegear.

And it was the Overworld arsenal's job to make sure, at the very least, Kiru city had fully functioning battle gear.

"No rest for the weary, it seems." Bodal mused to himself as he walked over to the nearest box. He'd get what he could move, and if he needed to, find some battle gear to help him with the tasks. It would be so much easier if they had another hand, but no soldiers could be spared, it seemed. And Tom…

He wouldn't ever admit this, not even to himself at times, but he was worried for the human. He'd grown attached to his sly wit and snarky humor, who's pride rivaled his compassion. There had been times where that boy had torn his nerves to shreds, but there were also times where he saw Tom as a student, a person to teach and to learn from. For Chothica's sake, he housed Tom for a few months, even though it was under Maxxor's orders. He'd gotten use to having his help around the arsenal.

And now, he was gone. Possibly forever.

He regretted opening his big mouth, telling that fool about the Tribeless, and especially regretted giving him that stupid map. Maybe if it wasn't for those things, for indulging him in those ideas, he'd still be here today! He wouldn't be lost somewhere, or dead, or worse! He would be here, bothering him about some new battlegear, or telling him about a chaotic match. He'd be wasting Bodal's time, sure, but… at least he'd be fine.

At least Bodal, himself, would be able to stop-

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

Bodal, who was completely on the other side of the arselan, let out an annoyed sigh as he carefully set down the box of battle gear and shuffled towards the door. Who could it be at this hour? Perhaps it was that red haired player -Kaz, was it?- who came by to check on him. His visits had become rarer and rarer, most likely cause the boy had ties to the underworld or something. At least, that's what red scanners usually meant…

"I'd hope you have a very good reason for being here, else-" Bodal began as he cracked the cracked the door open slightly, the scowl instantly vanishing from his face when he saw who it was.

"Well hey to you too." Tom replied with a grin, crossing his arms and staring down at the small Overworlder. The two seemed to stare at eachother for a moment. Bodal's mind wrapping around who he was seeing, and Tom's once smug girn quickly fading as he realized he may have startled Bodal.

Yet it was quickly dismissed when Bodal yanked Tom into the arsenal and shut the door, giving him the meanest glare he could muster, which honestly wasn't half bad. "...I'll make a wild guess and say you don't have my map with you, do you?"

"Uh, well, it kind of got lost, and I'm not sure where-"

"Forget it." Bodal replied, surprising Tom as he began to shuffle off towards the kitchen area. He needed something to soothe him right now. "Map's can be replaced, and besides, it's become outdated while you were gone. You've done me more of a favor getting rid of it then keeping it...Would you like some tea?"

"...What kind?" Tom hesitantly asked, taking a seat on a sturdy set of crates. This surprised Bodal slightly, as the boy always turned down his offers for tea when he rarely made them. "Besides, aren't you surprised to see me?"

"Me, surprised?" Bodal asked mockingly, already rummaging for a specific type that would be nice about now. He'd have to make one for Olkiex, incase he finished fixing the damaged battle gear before Tom left. "I figured if you hadn't been died yet, you'd never would. Speaking of which, where did you run off too?"

Choosing not to answer Tom's first question, he quickly sat up his old teapot over an open flame, waiting for the water to boil. Looking around, he spotted some Gwabba fruit Olkiex must have left out earlier. The dolt must have been in such a rush to finish his job, he'd forgotten to clean up. Yet it just so happened that the peels and seeds could be used to make a bittersweet tea.

"Wow, thanks Bodal. Glad you're ok too…" Tom snarked back, rolling his eyes as he looked around. His eyes scanned the room, taking note of all the clutter and battle gear strung about. It honestly seemed like an organized mess more so then anything. "And I can't really tell you...details are a bit fuzzy at the moment. But what's up with the Arsenal?"

"Hm… Well, if you're referring to the state it's in, which I will assume you are," Bodal spoke from the kitchen doorway, startling Tom slightly. He always forgot how sneaky Bodal was. "It would have to do with the fact that despite my amazing intelligence, we're understaffed here at the arsenal. All the other guards that I could rope into helping out had been called to outer posts. It's just been Olkiex and I for the past for solars or so. Which reminds me, as collateral for losing that map, I'll have you work here until we can get this cleaned up."

"What? But I just got back!" Tom cried out, shocked at already being put back to work. "C'mon, don't I atleast get a few days to let everyone else know I'm alive before I'm back at work?"

"You mean you haven't gone to tell anyone else?" Bodal replied back, trying to hide his surprise and mildly succeeding. "What are you even doing here then? Shouldn't you be off bothering Maxxor and Intress? Or is that why you're here. If you expect me to know where they are, well then I'm sorry to say this, but it's strictly classified. They will be here by tomorrow morning th-"

"No, no, Bodal. I came here to see you cause..." Tom's voice drifted off, before he shook his head. " I came to check on you cause I figured you were worried about me, I guess…And maybe I wanted to make sure you guys knew I was alright? I mean, that's what friends do, right?"

"...Well, I wasn't," Bodal said, his tone suggesting otherwise. After a few moments in the kitchen, he returned with two cups of Qwabba tea, and his eyes a little wetter than normal. "But for the sake of our work load, give us a little warning the next time you go vanishing for a few Solons, understand? It's already hard enough trying to organize these extra orders but when one of your workers disappears out of nowhere, it's an absolute madhouse. Why, just the other day-"

Not a lot of work was done that night. Instead Bodal just allowed himself to ramble on and on, like he normally would. Tom would listen, occasionally give a snarky comment, and then quickly the two would bicker, like they normally would. Eventually, Olkiex would rear his head, and would rush over and give Tom a heartfelt hug, mumbling about how glad he is Tom was alright.

Bodal didn't ask Tom where he went after this, he honestly didn't care. He was just happy Tom wasn't dead, and for tonight, the consequences of his disappearance would remain out of the arsenal for as long as Bodal saw fit. For once in his life, he allowed himself a break...


End file.
